Their Excuse
by ohmmeter
Summary: Issues with hair accessory. A pointless, plotless, lighthearted Nejiten oneshot.


**Their Excuse**  
_fanfiction written by omi_

/for Diana, Tina and Faye  
/Ximena salamat sa chocos XD

pairings: nejiten

summary: Issues with hair accessory. A pointless, plotless, lighthearted Nejiten oneshot.

………………………………………

"Damn Neji, that's the fourth one you broke!"

Screamed a furious Tenten, doing a graceful landing after one of Neji's shurikens sliced the ribbon securing her hair, making it loose in the process. Soft dark curls graze her slender neck, cheeks slightly flustered, and face teeming with beads of sweat.

He was pleased.

"Sometimes I think you're doing it on purpose."

Oh how true he thought and arched an eyebrow in reply. He just wanted an excuse to see her hair unbound.

She took a piece of senbon and struck it against the nearest rock to dull its edge. Biting the needle, she instantly gathered the loose strands underneath her nape and rearranged the locks into a bun. After making sure it was fastened tightly and wouldn't go loose again after another round of sparring, she evaluated her work and was satisfied.

Tenten was getting good at improvising, he noted. He had better results during his first attempts, which is a shame because his aim and timing were improving.

The first one, she left as is, reasoning the day is almost done anyway. So together, they both walked back to Konoha; Tenten, half of her hair undone, and Neji, admiring the view. He wondered then if her hair is as soft as it looks and fought the surging urge to touch it.

His second attempt, he thinks, had better results. She undid her other bun; his heart did this mini dance and throbbed so hard which left his head lighthearted, but that only lasted for a moment. She immediately gathered her hair to fix it in a single bun. She didn't notice, however, the tiny rip on her second ribbon, from his previous failed attempt. After a few turns it also gave way.

He was too smitten to hide his stolen glances on their way back. She wanted to wipe that annoying smirk off his face.

"I'll get you another one"

She paused and looked at him puzzled.

He smiled.

He just wanted an excuse to give her a new set of ribbons, holding a pair hidden inside his pockets.

………………………………………

"Tenten, what are you doing with my hair?"

He was meditating, waiting for her to arrive to begin their usual morning training. She knelt down behind him, and felt no need for alarm, until she loosened the band holding his hair together. The young man began to panic when her cool hands gently comb his dark tresses.

"Revenge."

She answered casually. She just wanted an excuse to touch his hair.

"What?"

He looked up and she gave him the sweetest smile she could muster. Still holding a handful of his hair, she gave it a soft tug and landed a light peck at the tip of his nose. That seemed to do the trick.

He remained silent, concentrating, to keep his breathing steady. Her too, attention solely on his hair, and his close proximity, and his scent. Whoever thought multi-tasking could be this tiring.

"There"

The young lady said, admiring her work. Neji turned around, and for the first time that morning, noticed Tenten's ribbons were mismatched. A red one secures her left bun, the survivor from his first attempt, and a pink one holds the other. He recalls it as the one he gave her the other day. She saw his half-hurt, half-puzzled expression and pointed to his new hairdo.

The braid was bad enough, but the pink ribbon at the end of it was worse. She laughed when she heard his silent protest. She smiled teasingly at his disgusted expression. The Hyuuga genius immediately regretted ever considering buying the ribbon pink, even though he thought, the color suits her, among other things.

Once again the kunoichi successfully managed to turn his trick against him. He smiled inwardly at the thought.

"Training could wait. I'm going to parade you around Konoha!"

He groaned, and wondered how her laughter could sedate him into doing as she pleases. She grabbed his arm and dragged him along fighting to hide the blush creeping on her face, which seems to be happening a lot recently.

Honestly, she just wanted an excuse to hug his arm and lean her head against his broad shoulders (and show off the new ribbons he gave her).

Not that he minds.

………………………………………

"Sensei, why is your hair braided today?"

Questioned a dark haired brat of twelve who oddly reminds him of someone from his childhood, his two other companions also looked at him confused. They were not used seeing their mentor's silky shiny hair, braided, and tied by a pink ribbon. The older man sweat dropped.

"I got somebody pissed…"

A nostalgic smile marked his face.

………………………………………

Author's Notes:  
Shurikens are the star-like projectiles Naruto-tachi throw, and Senbons are needles. If you don't know what braids and buns look like, I suggest using Google XD

_/finished 061505 101am_


End file.
